The Romans in Britain

The Romans
arrived in Britain in 55 BC. The Roman Army had
been fighting in Gaul (France) and the Britons had been helping the Gauls in an
effort to defeat the Romans. The leader of the Roman Army in Gaul, Julius
Caesar, decided that he had to teach the Britons a lesson for helping the Gauls
– hence his invasion.

Julius Ceasar

In late August 55 BC, 12,000 Roman
soldiers landed about 6 miles from Dover. Caesar had planned to land in Dover
itself, but had to change his plan as many Briton soldiers had gathered on the
cliffs ready to fight off the invaders. Even so, the Britons followed the Romans
to their landing place and a fierce fight took place on the beach. The Romans
were forced to fight in the water as the Britons stormed down the beach. Caesar
was impressed with the fighting qualities of the Britons:

“The
Romans were faced with serious problems. These dangers frightened our
soldiers who were not used to battles of this kind, with the results
that they do not show the same speed and enthusiasm as they usually did
in battles on dry land.”

However, the Romans fought off the
Britons who withdrew. But it was clear to Caesar that the Britons were anything
but a pushover and by the end of the year, the Romans had withdrawn to Gaul. If
a full-scale invasion was to take place, the Romans would need far more men in
their invasion force.

Caesar returned the next year in 54 BC.
This time he had 30,000 soldiers and the Britons were not prepared to fight the
Romans on the beach. This gave the Romans an opportunity to establish themselves
as a military force in Britain. Once they had done this, they took on Briton
tribes one by one.

Caesar’s success in Britain meant that
he neglected Gaul. This encouraged the Gauls to rise up against the Romans and
Caesar had to leave Britain with his army to put down the rebellion in Gaul. The
Roman Army did not return to Britain for over 90 years.

However, traders from Rome did come to
Britain and traded with the tribes that lived there. They realised that Britain
was potentially a very wealthy place and if the island was properly controlled
by the Romans, Rome itself could do very well out of it.

The Romans invaded Britain in AD 43.
This was not as a punishment for helping the Gauls. It was to take over the
island. The Romans were to stay for many years. The emperor Claudius sent an
army of 40,000 men. It landed safely. The emperor sent not only foot soldiers
but cavalry as well. Many tribes in Britain realised the sheer power of this
army and made peace quickly with the Romans. Some took on the might of the Roman
army. These clashes went on for many years and in parts of Britain, the Romans
never actually gained full control. Though the Roman army has achieved fame for
its effectiveness as a fighting force, the Britons were skilled and ferocious
warriors. Caesar, in particular, was impressed by their skill with chariots:

“Chariots
are used like this. First of all, the charioteers drive all over the
field hurling javelins. Generally, the horses and the noise of the
wheels are enough to terrify the enemy and throw them into confusion, as
soon as they have got through the cavalry, the warriors jump down from
their chariots and fight on foot. Meanwhile, the charioteers then move
away and place their chariots in such a way that the warriors can easily
get back on them if they are hard pressed by the size of the enemy. So
they combine the easy movement of cavalry with the staying power of foot
soldiers. Regular practice makes them so skilful that they can control
their horses at a full gallop, even on a steep slope. And they can stop
and turn them in a moment. The warriors can then run along the chariot
pole, stand on the yoke and get back into the chariot as quick as
lightening.”

While the Romans thought highly of Britain as a colony, they were less happy
about the Britons themselves.